High LevelSummaries

AGRIECON EMPL ENVI ITRE JURI LIBE

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In the run-up to the session, your Chairpersons have prepared these High Level Summaries (HLS) of the Committee Topics.

They shall serve as a useful point of departure for your own research by quickly introducing the topic and some of its core aspects.

For each HLS, you will find a QR code linking to the respective Research Gateway. Click or scan the code and you will be forwarded to the Gateway, where you can find additional links and documents for further research.

All the topics were carefully selected to match the session theme “Innovation through Simplici-ty”, so we hope that you will be inspired to inno-vate when it comes to finding solutions.

In Cēsis, your Chairpersons will lead you through the process of drafting a Resolution on your Committee Topic, which will then be debated during the General Assembly. It is therefore recommended that you do not only acquire profound knowledge of your own topic, but also have a look at the other committees’ HLS.

On behalf of the board, I would like to congratu-late you for participating in this event and I am delighted to welcome you to Cēsis 2016.

Yours truly,

Lewin Schmitt

President of Cēsis 2016

Dear Delegates,

Green farming: Organic agriculture offers an opportunity for more sustainable and eco-friendly food production, yet it can also come at higher costs, imply increased land-usage, and generally be less efficient. How should a new EU strategy on green agriculture look like?

Entrepreneurs needed: With a stagnant economy and high unemployment rates especially among young Europeans, how can the EU foster entrepreneurship and digital start-ups in order to stimu-late economic development?

New forms of self-employment: the access economy with companies such as Uber implies dis-ruptive change to the relationship between employer and employee, thus undermining the princi-ples of the European welfare state. How can the EU ensure that Member States adapt to the new developments accordingly?

GMOs: Advancements in genetic engineering allow for new forms of genetically modified organ-isms, which can provide benefits as sources for medicines and improved crops. How can the EU ensure a balance between ethical concerns and the need for scientific research?

Home-made energy: What role should decentralised energy production play in an EU energy strat-egy that ensures sustainable, reliable, and affordable supply

Autonomous cars, Internet of Things and drone deliveries: What legislative action should the EU take to support companies and citizens in safely gaining access to new technologies, while keep-ing in mind both the economic opportunities and the dangers that might arise?

Data protection: The cloud, social networks, messaging apps – EU citizens are increasingly relying on digital services that are based on access to critical personal data. How can the EU ensure that privacy concerns are respected, especially in regards to globally operating service providers

AGRIOrganic agriculture is a

method of production thatcombines best

environmental practices, ahigh level of biodiversityand the preservation of

natural resources

The principles and

modalities of organic

production are defined in

Council Regulation (EC)

No. 834/2007, by the

European Council of

Agricultural Ministers

Foods may be labelled

"organic" only if at least

95% of their agricultural

ingredients meet the

necessary standards

Organic production

outlaws the use of

genetically modified

organisms and derived

products: the products

have to be below the

threshold of 0.9% of

genetical modification

The OrganicAgriculture logo meanssustainable production,quality, animal welfare

standards, environmentalprotection, livestock inopen air, restricted

pesticide use

CURRENT LEGISLATION

Following the Treaty of Rome (1957),

Member States’ agricultural policies were

replaced by the Common Agricultural

Policy (CAP).

OBJECTIVES OF THE CAP

Big

numbers

10.3 millionshectares cultivated

in the EU

5.9% of the total

Expansion of 400'000hectares/yearIncrease agricultural productivity

Ensure a fair standard of living for farmers

Stabilise markets

Ensure the availability of supplies

Ensure reasonable prices for consumers

THE MEMBER STATES ARE REQUIRED TO USE 30% OFTHEIR NATIONAL FUNDING ALLOCATIONS FOR

GREENING PAYMENT, WITH THREE BASIC MEASURES:

37.8% of the Community

Budget

crop diversification

maintaining existing permanent grassland

maintaining an ‘ecological focus area’

The new CAP (2014­2020) recognizes

the role of organic farming in responding

to consumer demand for more

environmentally friendly farming practices

Organic farms will benefit from the green

direct payment without fulfilling any further

obligations because of their overall

significant contribution to environmental

objectives.

Green farming: Organic agriculture offers an opportunity for moresustainable and eco-friendly food production, yet it can also comeat higher costs, imply increased land-usage, and generally be lessefficient. How should a new EU strategy on green agriculture look

like?

Created by Giovanni Cattani and Iker Bengoetxea

for Cēsis 2016 

PROS

Benefits for soil

Benefits for water: use of

organic fertilizers

Protection of biodiversity

Sustainability in the long­term

CONS

Risk of cross­breeding

Skills and experience required

Higher labour costs

Less efficient land usage

Pollination can cause the

plants to cross­breed.

Risk of ruinning crops!

Without the use of

chemicals, farmers

have to adapt to the

needs of the crop!

Organic faming's cost are

10­20% higher!

25% less efficient land usage!

Encourages soil fauna and flora,

thus improving soil formation

and structure!

Use of organic fertilizers reduces the

use of chemicals and promotes

water filtration!

ECON Entrepreneurs needed: With a stagnant economy and high unemployment rates especially among young Europeans, how can the EU foster entrepreneurship and digital start-ups in order to stimulate economic development?

By Ilvija Mezina and Aino Royskov ,

: :

15%

Have you ever started a business?

16%

17%

32%

39%

36%

CY

GR

BG

FR

BE

SI

Promoting entrepreneurship is one of the core elements Europe is working on - and it indeed should be so. However, there are questions that remain unanswered and that is what the ECON committee will try to solve in Cēsis 2016. Currently, Europe is still faced with a huge amount of youth unememploy-ment - with around 20% from the data of April, 2016. The US has shown a fairly better development of the entrepreneurial cul-

econ must-knowEntrepreneurship – The term entrepreneurship refers to the creation of a new business. It is the is ability of an entrepreneur to turn ideas into action. It includes creativity, innovation, risk taking, ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives.Start-up - is a type of entrepreneurship usually aiming to thrive in business very quickly. Business incubator - organizations aimed toward speeding up the growth and success of startup and early stage companies. They open a better opportunity to receive captial from investors, state governments, econom-ic-development coalitions and simply those who might be interested.Enterprise birth rates in EU - Shows the percentage of newly emerging businesses and its main trends. Enter-prise births are thought to increase the competitiveness of a country ’s enterprise population, by obliging them to become more efficient in view of newly emerging competition. For more statistics on birth and death rates in the EU - check this link: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Business_demography_statis-tics#Birth_rateSME - Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent 99% of all businesses in the EU. The definition of an SME includes the company’s staff headcount to range from 50-250 people, and either its turnover to be less or equal to 50 million Euros or its fixed and current assets to be less or equal to 43 million Euros.

ture - an example being Mark Zucer-berg and all of our beloved platform - Facebook. Europe, however, remains faced with several challenges - one of them being that Member States have different regulatory policies and prac-tices regarding entrepreneurship. About 60% of the 4% of young en-trepreneurs did not follow any kind of special training or education on entrepreneurship or entrepreneurial competences. A majority of youth en-trepreneurs indicate that this lack of competences together with a lack of nance and a lack of ideas are the main sources of entrepre- neurial fail-ure. Only 32% of unemployed said that they see self-employment as a possi-bility, the rest chose to be employed under someone.

“We need to build entrepreneurial culture by ‘enterprising the schools’ and getting young people talking about business.” - Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education

MAIN QUESTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED

start-up life cycle

Link to research gateway(use it as much as possible)

1.SEED

2.START-UP

3.GROWTH

4.ESTABLISHMENT5.EXPANSION

6.MATURITY

7.EXIT

First stage of the business being just an idea

The business is now in actual existence - main focus is

putting all energy towards the project

Clients are flowing, profit is increasing. One must ensure

good accounting and managing processes.

The business is now a concurent to many. Main

objective: how to improve and be productive in the

bigger picture.

The business is willing to in-crease its market share and profits. It must focus on the very essence of the business,

othetwise it can downfall.

The business is very well developed, however, competition

remains. As everything keeps stagnant, one must choose

whether to expand more or exit.

It can be seen as an oppor-tunity to sell the business and put and end to all the efforts. The business might also be

simply shut down.

• Why is there such a little amount of Entrepreneurs setting up their businesses among the EU? • What is keeping away the success of the businesses already established? • What would encourage the European youth to build their own ideas into a successful business story? How

can the EU access finance to young entrepreneurs?• What are the major difficulties faced by young entrepreneurs in Europe?• How can the EU best facilitate entrepreneurship on a European level and what should Member States do

on a more national and regional level?• How can the EU not only improve the birth rate but also the success rate of startups?• How can the EU motivate other important actors like investors, universities and schools, national governments,

etc. to act in the interest of young entrepreneurs?• What possibilities exist within EU competences to influence the different administration and legal environment

for start-ups in different Member States?• In which stage of the life cycle should other actors involve the most in?

NORA JĒKABSONESARA FUKUSHIMA

BY

BACKGROUND INFORMATIONTYPES OF MARKETS WHERE ACCESS ECONOMY IS WORKING

DELIVERY SERVICES

HOME TROUBLESHOOTING

TRANSPORT

HOUSEWORK

LOCKSMITHS

HOTEL BOOKING TRAVEL

BANKING CAR RENTAL

GROWTH OF THE ACCESS ECONOMY IS DRIVEN BY

the technology required for hosting an online peer-to-peer market has become available at a more reasonable cost

low marginal costs

decreasing consumer trust in the corporate world

unemployment rates have risen and the purchasing power of consumers has fallen

environmental concerns

Many workers in the access economy are not employees and therefore do not bene�t from a guaranteed or minimum remuneration, since they are theoretically free to supple-ment their income with another application, another platform

ACCESS ECONOMY AFFECTS NEGATIVELYincumbent companies and increases their risk of losing market share

regulatory body (challenges to �nd the most e�ective ways how to manage industries)

LEGISLATION GENERAL TAX POLICY: the European Parliament has only the right to be consulted, except in budgetary matters, for which, as co-budgetary authority, it shares decision-mak-ing powers with the Council.

According to E-Commerce Directive Member States cannot impose a general obligation to monitor the content of platforms (in this situation - employers) (article 15)

Upgrading the Single Market: more opportunities for people and business (October, 2015): provide guidance on how EU law applies to access economy business models in 2016, rather than strictly regulating the issue. In particu-lar, it will draw upon national, European and international existing legislation to identify best practices, analyse how regulatory gaps need to be �lled, and monitor develop-ment

One of the main criticisms made to Airbnb: many users post ads illegally (they sublet their apartment illegally), they do not declare their revenue to the national treasury, or they use the platform as a professional activity without declaring so

CASE I

NUMBERS

the result of the access economy is €572 billion in annual consumption across the EU-28

annual growth of access econmy is 25% per year, but might even exceed 60% per year in some sectors by 2025

the existing barriers for sharing economy may reduce the potential economic growth linked with it by

€18 billion in the shorter-term and up to €134 billion in the medium and long-term

February, 2016. Airbnb Inc, Uber Technologies Inc., TaskRabbit Inc. writes to Mark Rutte, EU’s rotating presi-dency’s roles holder, inviting the EU to work on stronger commitment with access economy com-panies in order to decrese unemployement and increase

CASE II

Access economy - system where only consumer-to-consumer transactions happen to share temporary access to goods or services (excluding permanent ownership of goods).

Welfare - government support for the poor and otherwise disadvantaged members of the society, usually through provision of free and/or subsidized goods and services

Incumbent �rm - a �rm which is already in position in a market.

DEFINITIONS

INFOGRAPHIC

New forms of self-employment: the access economy with companies such as Uber implies disruptive change to the relationship between employer and employee, thus undermining the principles of the European welfare state. How can the EU ensure that Member States adapt to the new developments accordingly?

https://goo.gl/Zp20Gb

ITRE The Committee on Industry,Research and Energy

Home-made energy: What role should decentralised energyproduction play in the EU energy strategy that ensuressustainable, reliable, and affordable supply?

The question of the EU’s energy source has beenraised multiple times in the European Union. Ultimately,with innovation comes a larger dependency on powerand electricity, this power often comes from expensive,unsustainable and often monopolistic sources and doesnot allow the EU as a whole , as well as each state, towork independently and self-sufficiently. The topicmainly investigates the role of EU samaritans in aidingand providing energy for themselves and the Europeancommunity as a whole. Yet it is vital to analyse howthese implications would affect the European energymarket, the future of the European Union and that of themember states.

The importance of energy issue:

Energy produced on small scale and primarlyconsumed already at the site of energy production(household) or the local community, with surplusproduction transfered into power grid, while largescale energy suppy is not the main purpose.

“Today, the EU imports 53% of the energy itconsumes. Energy dependence relates to crudeoil (almost 90%), to natural gas (66%), and to a

lesser extent to solid fuels (42%) as well asnuclear fuel (40%)”

Current situationwith decentralisedenergy in EU

EU targets for 2030

80% of energy in Germany and Francealready is coming from decentralisedBusiness-to-Business and Business-to-Customer (BtoB & BtoC) development.

2015 agreement designed for keeping furtherGlobal warming far from 2°C and aim to keep itstrong below 1.5°C. Similarly as Kyoto protocol itencourages to limit CO2 emissions. However, itmore directly targets fuel and energy consumptionasking for complete switch towards renewable-almost-no-CO2-emitter sources and leave fossilfuels behind.

ITRE vocabularyKyoto Protocol 1997 signed protocol aiming to reduce Greenhouse

Gas (GHG) emissions globally. Energy relatedemissions in EU are about 80% of overall GHGemissions

Paris Agreement

Decentralisedenergy

Energy supply should be composed ofminimum 27% renewable energy toprovide for a sustainable future. Electric power grid, which features the application

of computer intelligence and networking abilitiesto electricity distribution system, where eachcomponent of the electric grid can both 'talk' and'listen', for instance, Smart Meter that sends dataabout electricity usage directly to Energycompanies servers, thus no human assistance isrequired.

Smart Grid

1 Billion euros every dayor more than 10 000 Euros every secondwe pay for enery imports, that could be

used domestically

Europen Union already encouragesdevelopment of ground mounted solarphotovoltaic (PV) farms. Germany andFrance are leaders in this development.

EU provides funding to various start-ups to facilitate logistics of house holdenergy production

Cut greenhouse gas emission by 40%(from 1990 levels)

Improve energy efficiency by 27%

Currently renewable energy makes onaverage in EU about 15 % of all energyconsumed

Questions about energy supplyQuestions about energy supply

ReliabilityAffordability

Created by chairpersons Nicole Cherniavsky (LU) and ReinisKlāvs Rudzītis (LV) for Cēsis 2016

Sustainability

Inspired by 1997 Kyotoconference, Denmarkannounced its goal to develop100% self-sustainablecommunity, that uses onlyrenewable energy sources.Samso island won thecompetition in 1997, andcurrently it has 95% localownership over it's windturbines and heat stations,which produce -12 tons ofCO2 footprint per inhabitant,while turning the islandcommunity into energysupplier, not consumer.

The Samso Example

Taking into account KyotoProtocol and ParisAgreement energy

production should aim forsustainability. However

what really is sustainableenergy? Can we only

measure it in CO2emmisions or other

equvivalents of wasteproduced? Secondly are all

renewable energyresources always

sustainable for householdenergy production at all

regions?

QR

To what extent somethingis affordable? To the meaninhabitant with his meansalary, or 95% of overallpopulation? Should there

be any discounts tosomeone, or subsidies?

What might be theeconomic implications andmarket barriers and theireffect on price comsumerswould need to pay? Howcompetitivity of states

should be adressed whenthey promote their local

suppliers?

Acknowledging the highdependency on Russian oiland gas imports, are they

reliable energy source duringcurrent tension with Russia?

Prolonged energy supplydisruption from Russia would

lead to Eastern Europeanmembers missing at least60% of the gas they needwhile even 100% in somecases. Thus, how can we

define reliable energy source?Do we base it on political

grounds or productionamount, regularity or avaible

infrastructure for energyimports?

- Lifespan quoted to be 20 years

Wind Turbines (WT)

Photovoltaic panels (PV)

Solar Water Heating panels (SWH)

- Lifespan is quoted to be 25 years, but it actually is up to 40- Reached Grid parity (30 Countries)- Energy Pay-Off after less than 3 years (Average around 1,5)

- Lifespan quoted to be 20 years- EU supplies 11% its electricity needs from wind

- Denmark supplies 40% its electricity needs from wind

- Innovation & Networks Executive Agency: Created by the EuropeanCommission to finance and manage innovations on energy

- Horizon2020: Research&Development funding, including Smart grids

- The Energy Community: EU and their parther union aiming to connectenergy market with South East Europe

Key Players

- In Mediterranean countries 30-40% homes use it for water heating

- Several Nordic countries use it to provide 15-25% of house heating power

Means of sustainable energy

https://goo.gl/1gjZ4k

Data protection: The cloud, social

networks, messaging apps –

EU citizens are increasingly relying on

digital services that are based on access

to critical personal data.

How can the EU ensure that privacy

concerns are respected, especially in

regards to globally operating service

providers?

Personal data?"Personal data" means data relating to an  individual who is or can be

identified either

from the data or from the data in conjunction with other information that is in,

or is likely to come into, the possession of the data controller.

Individual, whose data is being controlled, is of ten called 'data subject'.

Who is 'data controller'?The people or bodies that collect and manage personal data

are called "data controllers".

They must  respect  EU law when handling the data entrusted to

them.

Individuals regularly disclose personal information such as

their names, photographs, telephone numbers, birth date and

address while engaged in a whole range of everyday activities. 

Nonetheless, the privacy rights of individuals supplying their

personal data must be respected by anyone collecting and

processing that data.

Rights and Obligations

Individual Data controller

When your personal data are processed, you

have enforceable rights, such as:  The right

to be informed that your personal data is

being processed in a clear and

understandable language;

The right to have access to your own data;  

The right to rectify any wrong or incomplete

information;  

The right, in some cases, to object to the

processing on legitimate grounds;  

The right not to be subjected to an automated

decision intended to evaluate certain

personal aspects relating to you, such as

your performance at work, creditworthiness,

reliability, and conduct; 

The right to receive compensation from the

data controller for any damage you suffer, etc

To ensure that your rights are observed (i.e. inform

you, give access to your data);

To ensure that data are collected only for specified,

explicit and legitimate purposes, that they are kept

accurate and up to date and for no longer than is

necessary;  

To ensure that the criteria for making data­

processing legitimate are observed, for example,

when you give your consent, sign a contract, or

have legal obligations, etc.;

 Confidentiality of the processing;  

Security of the processing;  

Notification to the data protection authority, in

some cases; 

To ensure that, when a transfer of data occurs to

countries outside the EU, these countries

guarantee an adequate level of protection.

General Data Protection Regulation

In April 2011 a high­profile security breach at a technology company compromised the accounts of 77 million

customers: names, email and postal addresses, dates of birth, passwords and login information, purchase

history and credit card information.

It took nearly a week before the company acknowledged the data breach and informed the customers affected.

The most profitable moment for criminals using stolen records is immediately after the theft, and before

customers have been notified and had a chance to take preventative measures.

Why do individuals need more protection?

In the 21 years since the current data protection rules were adopted, new ways  of  communicating

 such as online social networks have profoundly changed the way people share personal information, 

while cloud computing means that more data is stored in remote computer server farms instead of personal

computers.

250 million people now use the internet daily in Europe. In this fast­changing environment,

individuals must retain effective control over their personal data.

This is a fundamental rightfor everyone in the EU and must be safeguarded. 

Attitudes towards data protection

71% of Europeans feel that there is no alternative other than to disclose personal information if they want to

obtain products or services.

Half of all European Internet users are worried about becoming a victim of fraud through the misuse of their

personal information. Around seven out of ten people are concerned about their information being used for

a different purpose from the one it was collected for;

Almost all Europeans say they would want to be informed, should their data be lost or stolen

Only over a third of Europeans are aware of a national public authority

responsible for protecting their personal data rights (37%).

Only 15% feel they have complete control over the information they provide online;

one in three people (31%) think they have no control over it at all.

What is the new 2016 General DataProtection Reform about?

Created by Karl­Joosep Volmerson for Cēsis 2016

Easier access to your own personal data;

A right to transfer personal data from one service provider to another;

When your consent is required, you must be asked to give it by means of a clear affirmative action;

More transparency about how your data is handled, with easy­to­understand information, especially for

children;

Businesses and organisations will need to inform you about data breaches that could adversely affect you

without undue delay. They will also have to notify the relevant data protection supervisory authority;

Better enforcement of data protection rights through improved administrative and judicial remedies in cases of

violations;

Increased responsibility and accountability for those processing personal data –

through data protection risk assessments, data protection officers, and the principles of

‘data protection by design’ and ‘data protection by default’;

A ‘right to be forgotten’ will help you manage data protection risks online.

When you no longer want your data to be processed and there are no legitimate grounds for retaining it,

the data will be deleted. 

The rules are about empowering individuals, not about erasing past events, re­writing history or restricting the

freedom of the press.